Conferences

Fifty six years since the first founding session of the AAPSO's conference held in Cairo in January 1958.The passage of more than half a century on the creation of such popular movement of solidarity, and its success in surviving against the positive and negative global developments; is enough to make us understand the elements of strength and weakness in our movement within these historical and crucial moments to guarantee the continuity of its great historic role.

First of all we have to extend all our regards and thanks to the solidarity committee in Colombo, which has for more than half a century carried the message of Afro-Asian solidarity in a great country as Sri Lanka, and share it with the struggling peoples of the two continents, and even with the rest of the people around the world.

The great Sri Lankan people has provided during all the time; all the means of support to the national liberation movements, the movement of world peace, and proved to the whole world the ability of the Sri Lankan people on the internal and regional solidarity, supported the peaceful solutions and protecting the country's independence in all the circumstances that made it a heroic model for all of our peoples. We are confident that our reception by the Sri Lankan people and the generous hospitality to us today, that is part of its determination to continue its role in solidarity, and to ensure the success of our important conference. So we would like to stress our thanks to the Government and the Sri Lankan people.

We highly appreciate the Sri Lankan people and its historical leaders for their early contribution in the call for the establishment of the organization of the Afro-Asian Peoples' SolidarityOur organization from the beginning expresses the unity of feelings, attitudes, and hopes in the united future for the liberation of our people and the peace of the world, and this is since our historic leaders had realized the importance of the historical moment that started the initiative of establishing this organization.

If we return back to the history of our organization and the solidarity movement of our peoples, for more than half a century, to draw the lessons of affirmative common action, which was characterized by diversity and unity expressing our ambition to democratic values, and provide an example of non contradicting national identities, or struggling in an atmosphere of social tolerance, and peaceful coexistence among peoples. The foundation period of the Afro-Asian Solidarity Movement, was a rich period in memories of the aspiration for freedom, independence and contribute to the formation of new world. We have participated in this early period to cope with the risks of alliances and military bases, and the fighting of the major powers in the context of polarization and pivoting, but we had a direct military aggression against Egypt in the Suez Canal, and the battles of old colonialism in East Asia (Indochina ....), and in parts of Africa.

And after the rise of the leaders of the real confrontation across Asia and Africa, it has been confirmed to the whole world the establishment of our organization that our people are determined to achieve liberation and independence, and they will work together to achieve the noble objectives. The meeting of its leaders in 'Bandung' in 1955 on a governmental level, then the quick actions of calling the popular organizations to meet in Cairo to set up a real popular organization to help the national work in the two continents and the world, this was one of the noblest remarkable phenomena in that period.

There is no doubt that all the official levels after 'Bandung' felt the strong push the popular movement towards solidarity, liberation and independence, and this made them found the Non-Aligned Movement, in the official congresses then the popular and patterns of support for the national independence whether in modifying the behavior of the big powers or in the development of the role of international organizations, the United Nations and the Security Council itself as well as others.

The world's major governments, as well as Afro-Asian, feel the power of our people through their popular organizations and particularly AAPSO. The patterns of other regional organizations were identified, as the Conference of the African peoples, to the Organization of African Unity, to many other popular Asian organizations in the same period.

The conflicts of the Cold War during the past half-century couldn't prevent the determination of the movement of the Afro-Asian peoples to play a prominent role in the movement of the world peace, and make the concept of the Non-Aligned the concept of peace, and not just for the isolation from the world and its interactions, as it always proposed some country and regional solutions and set dialogue among peoples as we had shared the forces of peace in the socialist camp. As for the international level and in order to let the public democratic powers in the world along with the issues of our peoples in Asia and Africa, as exemplified by the Palestinian, Vietnamese and South-African struggles.

The global developments over more than half a century; have imposed the need on AAPSO to develop its activities in turn, in order to adapt to the needs of our peoples, and participate in economic developmental, environmental and other battles.

Hence, the role of AAPSO emerged in the context of the group of developing countries (seventy seven), also contributed prominently in all disarmament battles, saving the world from dangers of nuclear weapons on world peace and its production in different regions within the framework of the obvious achievements or through using the necessary principles of peace, AAPSO also contributed to the movement of purifying the environment, its problems and risks to health, agriculture, and the global economy itself.

AAPSO wasn't far from movements of popular quality organizations because we know that solidarity among peoples should go through mobilization of their live powers in the patterns of solidarity at different levels, so you will find in the reports of the AAPSO and the Secretariat all the details about the role of AAPSO in the foundation of such unions and organizations of quality that played a role in mobilizing the Afro-Asian public opinion towards many peoples' issues. One of these has emerged in the recent years which was the re-establishment of the conference of the Afro-Asian writers' union which was held in Cairo at the end of the 2012 as well as the establishment of the Afro-Asian media union in 2013.

The world has gone through difficult conditions of conflicts and even local and regional wars, moved from the state of multi-polarity and direct wars in the cold war circumstances to other patterns of unipolar behaviors under the slogans of globalization and its economic and military control everywhere.

Despite our belief in the positive and human aspects to what is known as globalization, and to try to make it for the benefit of economic progress and human development to other forms of human solidarity, some of the world powers, has turned it into a tool of domination and aggression, and channel to impede forms of peaceful progress towards a balanced development, and social justice nationally and globally. And the world quickly turned within a few decades into an arena of conflict under a unipolar control, and as for the spreading of chaos philosophy which harden the way in front of the movement of our peoples. AAPSO 9th congress takes place at a crucial moment in the long struggle waged by the peoples of the world especially in the Middle East region, that now called "Arab uprisings" which commenced in December 2010 continue to be an unfolding story; the year 2011 witnessed unprecedented political change in the Middle East. Citizens took to the streets in mass protest against deepening poverty, high youth unemployment rates, corruption and longtime dictatorship. Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen underwent regime changes, while there is an ongoing full-fledged civil war in Syria.

In the last decade of our history; we started witnessing in the reality new economic and political developments, and even social developments in more than one location worldwide. Many countries all over the world massively developed and entered the ongoing conflicts' world, so some countries changed its intellectual and social doctrines; taking new political positions and by then all the roles varied in the regions and continents, and the situation showed a quite return to the multi-polarity which sometimes suggest the peaceful outcome of the new international balance, or suggests global tensions as a result of the conflict of interests. And there is much to be studied in our conference to identify the positions of conflict and consensus and what determine our role.

There is an escalating role of the popular organizations within the global developments now and what is known as civil society organizations, nationally and regionally, and has become such a window to express significant popular destinies.

Our world is now prevailed with conflicts of sects, tribes and regions and this worthy alert us to the necessity of increasing the popular, civil and democratic roles.. This is was necessarily suggested by the diverse destinies that our peoples are witnessing as well as the revolutions and the popular uprisings. In areas of the Arab Spring, or in Africa and Eastern Europe as well as the rising movement of people in Asia itself... However there are still some urgent issues in the world unsolved not only as a result of historical injustices, such as well-known case of the Palestinian people.

There was an Egyptian concern to resume reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas, and later on a resumption of indirect negotiations with Israel will take place, all the evidence shows that Israel is seeking to gain time and will not commit to any discussion or serious dialogue on the subject of Gaza port and airport.

The indirect negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli sides and there is a Palestinian interest to reach the previously announced goal which is to determine the borders of a Palestinian state based on the borders of 1967, and we should note that the United States had agreed and consented to the Palestinian borders of year 1967, however; circumvented this commitment, and in turn, Israel began building settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Adding to that the indirect negotiations could allow the Palestinians to reach a solution, remove and prevent settlement in the West Bank, as well as giving way to negotiate about the refugees problem according to what stated in the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002 (compromise), as well as UN Resolution 194 solving the problem of the Palestinian refugees.

The Gaza Reconstruction Conference that was held in Egypt on 12 October, in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway, where this conference and with the support of the Palestinian Authority and its president, Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, would put the funds granted by various countries and international bodies under a strong international supervision.

There is no need to mention that the main tension around the world is that phenomena that kills our people and destroy their hopes in stability; namely terrorism on global level. AAPSO paid attention early to this phenomenon and warned of conflicts that lead to it then we called for the need of the rule of tolerance between religions and sects, and overcome sectarian and tribal battles, and religious intolerance. We also warned from the exposure of the forces benefiting from this phenomena and raising concerns of our peoples as a result of the desire in brutal interference. As a result of military mobilization, and the new forms of domination on behalf of the facing of terrorism, while it requires a popular, political and social solidarity.

I just have one more important point worthy the attention of members of Congress and the dear guests; You know the economic difficulties experienced by many of our communities and governments which exposed the regional activities and even the international to the difficulty of continuing at full efficiency and performing all the duties. Therefore, frankly speaking I refer here to what AAPSO has faced as a result of the conditions of the national committees of solidarity or the positions of some countries, parties Members and non-members as well.

We appeal to the national committees of solidarity to exert greater effort to support AAPSO as a center for their activity to seriously participate in problems and even arrange necessary joint activities to represent the international and regional nature.

The secretariat did a great effort over the past years to comply with its obligations on the one hand, and try to organize its internal structure, and activities of quality to meet your expectations. However, AAPSO still needs a lot of your support.

I still have some few words regarding those leaders of AAPSO whom we lost or those senior members whom we appreciate their roles and salute the memory of their passing away. I wish to pay due respect to the memories of Mr. Youssef Al-Sebaie, Mr. Abdul Rahman Al-Sharkawy, Dr. Mourad Ghaleb and Mr. Ahmed Hamrouch.

In Ending thank you very much and best wishes hope that you enjoy the congress and your stay in this lovely country.